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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. land — ground
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. mate — a partner
  19. land — a country
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. land — to come down
  22. mate — a friend
  23. fork — in a road
  24. saw — the tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com